Expect More Traffic for Thanksgiving Weekend

November 23, 2016 - Denver Metro Colorado/CDOT Region 1 – The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is reminding drivers to anticipate heavier than normal traffic for the next few days as people travel for the Thanksgiving weekend and crowd the larger shopping areas.

“We wish all Coloradans a happy and safe Thanksgiving weekend,” said CDOT Executive Director Shailen Bhatt. “We’re doing what we can to minimize traffic impacts since we know there’s going to be a lot of people out traveling the state’s highways during the holiday period.”

To reduce potential delays, most CDOT construction projects will be suspended statewide by this afternoon. Projects will resume their regular schedules on Monday, November 28. Projects located in rural or low-traffic areas may be operating Friday.

Traffic on Interstate 70 west typically increases on the Wednesday prior to Thanksgiving, with westbound traffic expected to be heavier than normal through Friday, primarily from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. Heavier than normal traffic should be anticipated on eastbound I-70 Saturday and Sunday, especially between Vail and the Denver area from late morning until late afternoon.

I-25 traffic also is expected to be higher than normal along the Front Range this weekend, especially due to the number of large shopping areas located near the corridor.

Last year’s vehicles counts at the Eisenhower/Johnson Memorial Tunnels:

	Westbound	Eastbound	Total
Wednesday, November 25, 2015	26.067	18,167	44,234
Thursday, November 26, 2015	12,017	8,240	20,257
Friday, November 27, 2015	17,582	14,528	32,110
Saturday, November 28, 2015	15,745	23,054	37,799
Sunday, November 29, 2015	14,265	23,157	37,422
Total	85,676	87,146	172,822

Thanksgiving generally is not one of the higher holiday travel weekends. A record count of 201,887 vehicles for a Thanksgiving Weekend was set at the EJMT in 2006.

Road conditions can change quickly at this time of year. Drivers can receive updated road and weather information by calling 511 or by going to www.cotrip.org. Updates also are available via e-mail or text. Please visit www.codot.gov and click on the envelope icon in the lower right-hand corner. The link takes you to a list of items you can subscribe to, including I-70 West, Denver to Glenwood Springs.